Automatic air-brake controller.



No. 821,859. PATBNTED MAY 29, 1906.

T. OLEGG. AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE CONTROLLER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV-20.1905.

I for the valve-spindle.

UNrrEn s'rn r ns PATENT 0 ion.

THOMAS CLEGG, OF WlNNlPEG, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ALEXANDERMoKIN'NY AND ONE-THIRD TO ROBERT ANDREW BONNAR, OF WINNIPEG, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC AlR-BRAKE CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 20, 1905.Serial No. 288.286. I

Patented May 29, 1906.

T0 wllwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS OLEGG, of the city of Winnipeg, in theProvince of Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements inAutomatic Air-Brake Controllers, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic air-brake controllersmore especially adapted for the emergency control of the air-brakes onrailway rolling-stock; and the object of the invention is to devise asimple, cheap, efficient, and reliable controller in which the air usedin the manipulating of the air-brakes is automatically made to graduallyapply the said brakes in event of any of the successive cars breakingcoupling or any other such interfering irregularity occurring; and itconsists, essentially, of a peculiarly-adapted valve, a cylindricalcasing inclosing and suspending said valve, a valvechamber continuouswith the said casing, and means for connecting said casing and chamberto the train-pipes, the parts being otherwise arranged and constructedin detail, as hereinafter more particularly described. a

Heretofore when any irregularity, such as hereinbefore stated, occurredthe air-brakes were applied immediately and positively,with the resultthat the cars stopped almost dead, resulting in a loss, if not of life,in breakage; but the attachment that I provide obviates any suchoccurrence by bringing the car gradually to a stop, thus overcoming theserious and ever present danger involved in all rail traflic. A furtherbenefit is derived in that when the coupling breaks the car or cars ofeach section are gradually brought to a standstill,thus preventingtelescoping and providing at the same time means whereby in beingstopped they are practically dead at the same point, minimizing to acertain degree the work of recoupling.

Figure 1 is a side view of my controller, showing an application to thetrain-pipe. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the spider or bearing Fig. 3 is adetailed sectional view of the valve-casing and the valve-chamber,showing valve mechanism supported therein. .Fig. 4 is a plan view of thevalve. Fig. 5 is aperthe valve and the ed and designed to Fig. 6

spective detail view of the valve-seat.

and the is a longitudinal section of the valve valve-spindle.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin each figure.

A is the outer cylindrical casing, having a contracted portion A andannular enlargements in the end portions of the said casing.

B B are femaleor concave screws turned on the inner surfaces of theannular enlarge- I ments A.

C is the valve-chamber of an annular cylindrical cross-section with openand partially closed ends C C The open end C is threadscrew into thefemale screw B of the casing A. D is a'circular opening in the end C ofthe said chamber, having a female screw cut thereon and designed toreceive the coupling-nut D, into which is screwed the end of theapproaching trainpipe E or the like.

F is a cap-nut with an outer threading supplemental to B and designed toscrew therein, and G is an inner or female threading into which thereceding portion of the continuous train-pipe E is secured.

H is the valve of a cylindrical form with a beveled periphery H, and H aport-hole of a choke-plug shape, cut in the said valve and allowing ofequalizing of pressures on the opposing faces thereof.

K is the valve-seat, mounted at the point K, wherein the contraction inthe casing occurs, andis of a circular disk shape, having the centralportion cut away and designed to receive flush the valve H.

L L are spiders forming bearings of a cirin the ends of the cular diskshape, placed casing A and abutting on the inner edges of theirperipheries the surfaces formed by the annular enlargements A of thecasing A, being securely held therein by the end C of the chamber C andthe inner face N of the cap nut F. M represents perforations in the saidspider, allowing of the free circulation of air.

P is the valve-spindle passing into and through the central portion ofthe valve and extending longitudinally therefrom and supported at itsextremities in the bearings or spiders L L, respectively.

p is a shoulder on the valve-stem P, limiting its motion and reventingthe valve H combination with the main casing, contain- 6c from beingdisplace too far from the valveseat K.

S is a-spiral compression-springer the like encircling the valve-spindleits one extremity on the inner surface of the spider L and at its otheron the face of the valve H.

p is.a groove cut in the spindle P to facilitate in the grinding of thevalve.

In appl mg my controller to the trainit is connecte to the continuoustrain-pipe, preferably immediate to the angle-cocks T and on the sideremote from the coupling having the end containing the-valve-charnber Gextending inwardly toward the car. In its 0 eration it is extremelysimple and reliab c. When the coupling T parts or the hose T breaks orbursts, the pressure in the casing A is suddenly reduced to atmosphericand the valve is closed, due to the pressure contained in the chamber 0.However, there is an immediate release-of this pressure in the chamberC, as the port H allows a gradual escape to atmospheric pressure andnecessitating a corresponding gradual application of the airbrakes.

It is to be noted that no'legitimate operation of the air-brakes can inany way impair or disturb the valve, it always remaining in the normalopen position.

What I claim as my invention is o 1. In an automatic air-brakecontroller, a cylindrical casing having threaded ends and anintermediate contracted portion providing an interior annular shoulder,a valve-seat resting against said shoulder and having a beveled innerface, and a spring-pressed valve having a correspondingly-beveled edgeand a by-pass, substantially as described. 1

2. In an automatic air-brake controller, a substantially cylindricalcasing having inte riorly-threaded ends with an annular shoulder at thebase of the threads of each end, a coupling member screwed into eachend, a guide or spider clamped by each coupling member against thecorresponding shoulder,

a normally open, spring-pressed valve within the casing, and a port insaid. valve, and a valve-spindle extending from each side thereofand'guided in said spiders, substantially as 1 described.

and bearing at ing the valve-seat in the central portion and an outletat the end thereof, of a supplementary casing attached to the maincasing and having an inlet at the extremity, a valve having a port-holeextending therethrough, means for supporting and constraining the motionof the said -valve, and convenient means for attaching said controllerto the trainipe, as andfor the ur ose specified.

5. 11 an automatic air-Era e controller the combination with the maincasing containing the valve-seat in the central portion and an outlet atthe end thereof, of a supplementary casing, attached to the main casingand containing an inlet at its extremity, a valve having a port-holeextending therethrough, a spindle passing into and through the valve,and extending on either side, splders forming bearings for said spindle,a shoulder on said spindle designed to limit the valves outward play, acompression-spring attached to' the face of the valve and continuouslypressing it from its seat, and means for attaching said controller tothe train-pipe, as and for the purpose specified.

6. In an automatic air-brake controller,

the combination of a cylindrical casing, hav-'.

ing a contracted portion and annular enlarged threaded ends, a chamberedmember, continuous with and designed to screw into said casing, athreaded opening in the outstanding end of said chamber, a valve, avalve-seat rigidly secured in the cylindrical casing, and resting on theabutment formed, by the contraction in the central portion of thecasing, a spindle passing into and through said valve and extending oneither side there of, cap-nuts screwinginto the threaded end portionsand connecting the controller to the train-pipes, spiders formingbearings for the valve-spindle, resting and secured between theabutments formed by the annular threaded enlargements and the innerfaces of the threaded members, approaching and screwed tothe saidcasing, a shoulder forming part of or secured to the valve-spindle, andlimiting the valves outward play, a spiral compression-spring encirclingthe spindle and abutting at its extremities a spider and the valveface,and a port-hole located in the said valve, and designed for graduallyequalizing the pressures on the opposing faces thereof,

when the valve is in its closed position.

- THOMAS oLEco.

